Reading to your kids out loud

Discussion in 'Homeschooling' started by CrazyMom, Aug 27, 2014.

  1. CrazyMom

    CrazyMom Banned

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    There are so many benefits to reading out loud to your kids.

    Everything from parent/child bonding, to building vocabulary, to listening comprehension skills that lead to reading comprehension skills.

    I'm interested in how you feel about reading out loud to your kids, and have a few questions....

    1. At what age did you start reading to your kids?

    2. At what age do you think you should stop reading to your kids? (or at what age did you stop reading to your kid?)

    3. How long do you read at a time?

    4. How many times a week would you say you read to them? How reliably?

    5. What benefits do you think your children have personally experienced from your reading to them?

    6. Do you see any drawbacks to reading to your kids?

    7. Who does the reading to kids at your house? Yourself or your spouse? Both?

    Thanks for answers in advance. No right or wrong answers...just think this is an interesting topic that might generate some interesting insight and conversation.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2014
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  3. CrazyMom

    CrazyMom Banned

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    I'll go first and answer my own questions:

    1. Hubby started reading to my belly in the third trimester of my pregnancy.

    2. We read to our daughter every day (literally) until she was about 12. We still all enjoy reading to each other.

    3. When she was under five...maybe 15-25 minutes. 6-12, at least an hour every day.

    4. We read to her literally every single day. On a really bad day, we might only read for 15 minutes or so...but the usual was an hour.

    5. I think kids build vocabulary. I think the culture of reading....is a family taught value that will serve kids well the rest of their lives. I think it's addictive...but in a really good way. I think listening to reading...and the discussions we'd have about what we read...questions asked and questions answered....were the first building blocks of being able to analyze information to write a good report. I think reading together is a cherished memory for all of us.

    6. Personally, I don't see any drawbacks, but I thought I'd throw this question in...in case someone else did.

    7. While I did a lot of reading, I have to say my husband did the lion's share. He has the most fantastic reading voice. The man should do books on tape...seriously...he's wonderful to listen to. And he LOVED reading to Elle as a kid.
     
  4. Lindina

    Lindina Active Member

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    1. At what age did you start reading to your kids? As soon as they arrived at home, but I encouraged my kids to read to the belly as well as play music through headphones to the belly.

    2. At what age do you think you should stop reading to your kids? (or at what age did you stop reading to your kid?) When they would't sit still for it anymore

    3. How long do you read at a time? Variable, from a few minutes to an hour or more, or until falling asleep

    4. How many times a week would you say you read to them? How reliably? Daily, or several times a day, every day, getting less often the more independent they got.

    5. What benefits do you think your children have personally experienced from your reading to them? DD probably vocabulary, and the rate/rhythm/rhyme of the English language, hard to say with her what's because of reading and what's genetic. DS was too hyper to sit still much when he was very young, but a text-rich environment did rub off on him and he sees the benefit and enjoyment of reading the older he's gotten. Their firstborns are following suit.

    6. Do you see any drawbacks to reading to your kids? None whatever

    7. Who does the reading to kids at your house? Yourself or your spouse? Both? I did all the reading to DD. I did most of the reading to DS, what he would sit still for. DGS gets most of his reading from DH at bedtime.
     
  5. m0m0f3boys

    m0m0f3boys New Member

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    1. At what age did you start reading to your kids? About 1 month, starting with picutre books.

    2. At what age do you think you should stop reading to your kids? (or at what age did you stop reading to your kid?) It would depend on the child. Some want to read on their own at age 7, others still like it at age 12. We even download stories and listen to them in the mini-van.

    3. How long do you read at a time? At least 20 minutes

    4. How many times a week would you say you read to them? How reliably? About 5 nights per week.

    5. What benefits do you think your children have personally experienced from your reading to them? increased vocabulary, increased creativity, encouragement to read earlier and on their own, increased reading comprehension.

    6. Do you see any drawbacks to reading to your kids? None at all.

    7. Who does the reading to kids at your house? Yourself or your spouse? Both?
    Both
     
  6. Emma's#1fan

    Emma's#1fan Active Member

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    1. We started reading to her at birth.

    2. I do not believe there is a cut off age. If my daughter is interested in my reading to her, then I will. She is 16, and we still have many nights where we read as a family.

    3. We read as long as we feel like it.

    4. When she was young, we read to her every day. Now we usually read together at least twice a week.

    5. Reading together has taught her about family bonds. It was helpful in teaching her how to read and comprehend.

    6. No

    7. We both read to Em when she was young. Now we read to each other. We do not have a tv service, so reading is one of the ways we spend our evenings.
     
  7. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    1. From birth

    2. No cut-off age. I still read aloud to mine, but not as much. Plus, Carl and I usually have a read-aloud going. Right now, we interrupted a book we own because we got a "new" release I had reserved from the library. It needs to go back, so it takes precedent. I will also read aloud while traveling.

    3. Usually one chapter.

    4. When they were younger, it would be M-F, twice a day. I would read them usually a historical fiction or biography in the AM, and then a "fun" book or classic after their half-hour of silent reading time (which would be right after lunch). Now, with so much going on with them being older, it has fallen away. I'm hoping to start up again soon. I'd like to read Les Miserables.

    5. Learning to listen. Phillip, especially, was listening to books "beyond" his abilities, because I was reading them to his younger sisters. For example, I read Treasure Island when he was four. They have been exposed to many good books I doubt they'd ever read on their own...Around the World in 80 Days, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, Swiss Family Robinson, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea....

    6. None. It's a win-win situation

    7. When they were younger, Carl would read to them in the evening, but as they got older, we were running to many different directions at night. When he and I read together, it's always me doing the reading.

    One thing I would add is that if I had to do it over again, I would encourage the kids to take turns reading our read-aloud, too.
     
  8. CrazyMom

    CrazyMom Banned

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    Such cool answers:)

    Momof3....we do a TON of listening to books on tape while vacationing:) Either that or one of us will read while the other drives. Did about a million kid's books this way. I remember reading all the Fudge and Ramona books on a long camping trip we took with the cousins and the cousins LOVED being read to. I remember reading them the Best Christmas Pageant Ever...with the horrible Herdmans on a Christmas break trip to visit family. Those were so much fun! Now that we're older we do a lot of comedy and memoir. David Sedaris is a favorite!

    Jackie...hubby and I read to each other, too:) It's a wonderful way to hang out and relax. Feels nice to slow down. It's something we love to do a lot while camping.

    Emma...I'm thinking of canceling my TV service, too. Most stuff I want to watch I can get on Netflix or pick up at the library. It's an expensive time waster, isn't it?

    Lindina...love the idea of music for the belly:)
     
  9. vantage

    vantage Active Member

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    I have always read to the kids. We had a reading session at night and others during the day.

    Once we started schooling, I read to them at various times, but we did our Learn to Read in 100 lessons work at night. I would do the reading lesson, they we would play a board game or do a "puppet drama" with stuffed animals, then I would read a story or part of a story. Then prayers and then sleep.

    I found that the kids really needed the attention just before bed time and it was a nice place to slip the reading lesson in. They were less distracted than during the day and desired the side by side attention.

    I still do some reading out loud. Right now I am reading out loud from a SparkNotes about the Hunger Games novel. They have both read the books and seen the movie. It is a nice way to look at literature and the description of Characters and the concepts of Plot, Irony, and other things without the pain of starting with Scarlett Letter or Moby Dick.

    We enjoy comparing our own knowledge and opinions with those in the SparkNotes. It is also a nice way for them to see that you cannot depend on the SparkNotes entirely and not read the book. They appreciate this more when comparing them to a book they enjoyed reading and have discussed among themselves.
     
  10. CrazyMom

    CrazyMom Banned

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    Cool strategies, Vantage:)
     

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